Ergonomic Office Chairs

Working in an office characteristically involves spending a great deal of time sitting in an office chair —a position which adds stress to the structure in the spine. Therefore, in order to avoid increasing or compounding back problems, it's imperative to have an office chair that's ergonomic and that supports the lower back and promotes good posture.

The right ergonomic chair for the office is a crucial decision. It could mean the difference between putting in a full days work, then returning home still keyed up, and coming home fatigued. In first allowing for the "conventional" style of office chair, there are a number of things an ergonomic chair should have such as the seat height, its width and depth, the lumbar support and many others which are discussed further.

Office chair seat height should be effortlessly modifiable. A pneumatic modification lever is the easiest way to do this. A seat height that ranges from about 16 to 21 inches off the floor should work best for maximum people. This allows the person to have his or her feet flat on the floor, with thighs in a horizontal position and arms even with the height of the desk.

The seat should have sufficient width and depth in order to support any user contentedly. Usually 17-20 inches wide is the typical width. The depth from the front to the back of the seat needs to be adequate so that the user can sit with his or her back alongside the backrest of the ergonomic office chair while leaving approximately 2 to 4 inches between the back of the knees and the seat of the chair. The forward or backward tilt of the seat should be amendable.

Lower back support in an ergonomic chair is extremely important. The lumbar spine has an inbound curve, and sitting for long periods without support for this curve tends to lead to slouching which flattens the natural curve and strains the structures in the lower spine. An ergonomic chair should have a lumbar alteration for both height and depth so that each user can get the proper fit to support the inbound curve of the lower back.

The backrest of an ergonomic office chair is supposed to be 12 to 19 inches wide. If the backrest is disconnected from the seat, it should be adjustable in height as well as angle. It should be able to support the usual curve of the spine, again with special attention paid to proper support of the lumbar region. If the office chair has the seat and backrest together as in one piece, the backrest should be bendable in forward and back angles, with a locking mechanism to secure it from going too far backward once the user has determined the appropriate angle.

The material on the office chair seat and back should have enough stuffing to be relaxed to sit on for extended periods of time. Having a cloth fabric that breathes is preferable in comparison to a harder surface. Any conventional style or ergonomic chair should easily rotate so that the user can reach in different areas of his or her desk without straining.

• John Palsson
• 10/06/2009, 6:59 AM
• 0 Comments